Like I said "I never saw one in a race" I sail in Holland not UK = homebase of the Laser fleet.
Just last september I saw my first Spitfire race here in Holland. Granted I could have seen it if had participated last year in the round Tiengemeente as well.
I looked up the Laser 16 UK nationals; 11 boats. This while the very tradional 16ft glass beachcat Spitfire (of same designer) attracted 28 boats at their UK nationals. Note how the Spitfire as a design is about as old as the Laser 16.
So what do we have here ? Dealers claiming that these boats are selling like hot cakes since 1999 ? And how many do we see on the water ? We see fleets of 6 and 11 in the UK, its homebase, after selling them like nobodies business for 7 straight years.
Sorry guys I'm really not impressed. These can well be very good boats for sailing schools, hotels Holliday companies and what not. Actually I'm convinced they are. But I really don't see them becoming a threat to the normal beach catamaran scene. And if they ever try to become just that then we'll see allot of changes to the boat making them significantly more expensive and we'll see them become more and more like the original beach cat they tried to replace.
you'll see that the were as many Dart 16 racing as F16's at Eastbourne
Yes, but the F16 guys never claimed that the F16's were selling like hot cakes. To be really honest. The F16's aren't a kids boat to be dragged up the rocks nor a cheap boat like the Laser 16. We are only selling the F16's since 2002 (excluding the Taipan of which none are sailing in UK). Since that time we have replaced all older Stealths by the Stealth F16's in the UK and are now matching the laser 16 fleet at Eastbourne. I for one will never claim anything other then modest sales for the F16's, but we are doing so all over the world. Something I really don't see the laser 16 or any other rotomoulded cat do. If these rotomolded cats can't beat us = "expensive uncompromising no-big-builder glass F16's", not even on their home turf UK, then what the hell are they doing with all those boats sold ?
Just to be absolutely clear. I'm not dissing the boat, I'm sure it is all the Holliday camps want, I'm just totally unconvinced it will threaten the regular glass based beach cat scene as another poster mentioned. The signs so far are not suggesting the contrary.
Wouter
